The Rise of Mobile Access: Transforming Physical Security in the Digital Age

A surge in mobile credentials is revolutionizing organizational security, offering enhanced convenience and sustainability

Middle East leaders, from policymakers to startup founders, justifiably fret over security. And while we value the integrity of our data – our intellectual property, customer information, and so on – we must also think about our physical security. Many regional organizations are looking, with a fresh eye, at how to manage access to premises and hard assets and are even merging physical and IT access as part of green initiatives.

The Rise of Mobile Access and Digital IDs

To capture a snapshot of physical security HID recently published its State of Physical Access Trend Report after interviewing more than 1,200 enterprise decision-makers from around the world. The study identified five main trends in physical security. One of them is the rising ubiquity of mobile access and digital IDs. To be clear, physical ID cards are still prevalent within the access-control industry, but we see mobile access credentials and digital IDs gaining ground rapidly.

The report revealed that almost two in five (39%) organizations have adopted a mobile-identity solution. Almost half (48%) of the respondents mentioned contactless solutions and 44% cited mobile access. These two approaches emerged as the most popular across the access control arena. Arguably, we could say that a revolution is afoot within physical security, likely driven by the continuous arrival of more digital natives in workforces.

Benefits and Future of Mobile Access Solutions

The benefits of such a trend are there for all to see. First, because it has jettisoned physical cards, the adopting enterprise will have drastically reduced its use of plastic, thereby enhancing its sustainability credentials. When mobile-access solutions integrate digital wallets, the convenience for employees cannot be overstated. Additionally, if a mobile device is lost, it is easier to suspend any credentials they carry and also easier to locate the device, return it to its owner, and reinstate the credentials. And, given our brush with COVID, contactless solutions are better for health and safety.

One estimate from Omdia claims nearly 50 million mobile credentials were downloaded around the globe in 2022. Omdia goes on to predict that the mobile credentials market will expand at a 39.8% CAGR in the five years between 2022 and 2027. HID’s 2024 State of Security and Identity Report showed that security professionals believe almost 80% of organizations worldwide will deploy mobile IDs within the next five years, and industry partners predict this number will be 94%.

This enthusiasm may lie in the fact that investments in mobile identity and contactless systems come not only with the direct benefits mentioned previously, but also with spillover advantages in IT. The employee experience is greatly improved when the same method used to enter the building can be applied to network authentication. Smartphone and smart watch users can log on to PCs and print documents with the same level of auditability as that associated with physical cards. The industrial applications are just as broad in scope – student ID cards, hotel room keys, and so on.

Moreover, the integration of mobile access with digital wallets enhances both convenience and security. Employees can use their credentials stored in the digital wallets from their smartphones or wearables to access facilities, eliminating the need for physical cards and aligning with digital-first workplace strategies. This shift also supports sustainability by reducing plastic waste. With advanced encryption and the ability to remotely suspend credentials if a device is lost, digital wallets offer a secure and eco-friendly alternative to traditional access methods.

No matter the use case, credentials are never shared or stored on Apple or Google servers, which is a source of significant assurance to end users everywhere. And when end users are happy with a trend, invariably that trend is here to stay.